Religious Policy of Henry VIII (feat. PofG)

• Petition by Cromwell
• Called for royal action against abuses + corruption of the Church

REFORMATION OF THE CLERGY

• Followed Supplication of the Ordinaries
• Clergy surrendered independence to HVIII
• HVIII gained power to veto Church laws + appoint bishops w/o approval from Rome

• Forbade appeals to Rome concerning matrimonial cases

TRANSFERRED POWER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TO HVIII

• Attempt to progress divorce + intimidate Rome
• Incl. bold claims justifying Parliament's actions
• Suggested as a key event in the English Reformation

• HVIII acknowledged as Supreme Head of the Church of England
• Incl. rights to deciding organisation/personnel/doctrine
• Parliament provided a legal Act of Supremacy to support rights of HVIII

• Acknowledged HVIII as always having rights as the Supreme Head of the Church

HVIII HAD ALWAYS HAD THESE RIGHTS - JUST DECIDED NOT TO ACT ON THEM

• Denial of Royal Supremecy became a crime of treason - PUNISHABLE BY DEATH

• Taxation on the clergy directly to HVIII 
• HVIII now had rights to all taxes originally sent to Rome
• Collected part of the first year's worth of income from clergy - 10% of annual revenue collected thereafter

PART OF PRESSURING ROME INTO GRANTING THE ROYAL DIVORCE

• Policy conducted by Cromwell
• Report on the value of manastic land + property

PART OF THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES

PROTESTANT REFORM 

• Articles issued by Cromwell ensuring proper worship
• Remained mostly Catholic w/ SOME Lutheran concepts

• Parliamentary act
• Closed all monasteries valued at £200 or less per year

PROVOKED LINCOLNSHIRE UPRISING AND THE PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE 

NOTE: originally over 850 monasteries existed at the beginning of HVIII reign - dissolutions closed all but 50 religious houses  by the end of HVIII reign 

• Religious rebellion against Protestant Reformation and dissolutions
• Triggered by Lincolnshire Rising - took place mostly in Yorkshire/Durham/Northumberland
• Led by Robert Aske 

LED IN GRIEVANCE AGAINST CROMWELL - ASKE BELIEVED HVIII A GOOD MAN

• 36,000 rebels raised - well-equipt + organised
• Peaceful pilgrimage but caugh governement unawares = significant threat
• Gov. lacked sufficient funds to immediately crush rebellion
• Gained support from Lord Pontefract/'Key of the North'
• Sent petition to HVIII w/ demands - HVIII delayed response to raise sufficient royal forces
• Lack of conflict allowed gov. to eventually crush the rebellion
• 1537 Aske + other leaders executed for treason

THOSE INVOLVED IN THE PILGRIMAGE DID NOT ACCEPT HVIII AS SUPREME HEAD OF THE CHURCH

Demands of rebels = end to + reversal of Protestant Reformation

• end of dissolutions
• reinstatement of monks + nuns
• reversal of all Protestant policies + end of heresy
• removal of Cromwell as 'evil advisor'
• return to Rome

• Claimed northern monasteries = essential to the economy of the North
• North wanted more influence in London

PROTESTANT REFORM

• Offered new interpretations/advice on teaching new Protestant faith
• Attacked superstitions + abuses of Catholic Church - encouraged Protestant Reformation

Interpretations incl:

• no discussion of transubstantiation
• understatement of 'special status' priests
• vague implication of Purgatory
• vague implication of Mass

PROTESTANT REFORM

• HVIII persuaded by Cramner to sanction publication
• Allowed peasantry to create their own interpretations + thoughts on the Bible for the first time

• Closures extended to all religious houses 
• Chantries (private Catholic chapels) spared from dissolution

SWING BACK TO CATHOLICISM

Radical change in Church doctrine incl.

• confirmation of trnasubstantiation
• introduction of private Mass
• reintroducting hearing of confessions by priests

U-turn on several Protestant reforms - TOO RADICAL FOR HVIII

• re-established celibacy of priests
• banned marriages of all who had taken the vow of chastity
• banned lay people taking commune (bread + wine)

SEVERE PENALTIES WERE INTRODUCED FOR THOSE AGAINST THE ACT

• Handled property and income from the dissolutions
• One of Cromwell's final policies before exectuion